Pregnancy test could be a real lifesaver…for a man

Everyone knows what pregnancy tests are used for, but you may not know that they can also detect another delicate condition – testicular cancer in men.

The science of testicular cancer and pregnancy hormones is making the national news this week thanks to a Reddit post in which a man makes fun of his buddy for using an ex-girlfriend’s leftover pregnancy test. The test came back positive.

The post received thousands of comments, many of them urging the poster to get tested for testicular cancer. It turns out that beta human chorionic gonadotropin, the hormone detected by pregnancy tests in pregnant women, can also signal some types of testicular cancer, oncologist Dr. Mark Pomerantz told Good Morning America.

A second Reddit post by the same user claims that the man who took the pregnancy test, who is never named, did have a small testicular tumor. “Since it was caught early, it can be treated immediately,” the post states.

Dr. Christopher Wood of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston told Good Morning America that he recommends all men conduct monthly self-exams to detect testicular cancer by feeling for lumps, as the cancer has a high survival rate and normally first presents itself as a painless lump. Click here to get more info on self-exams from the American Cancer Society.